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Cauliflower and Roasted Garlic Soup

This creamy and silky cauliflower soup gets a sweet and nutty edge from three heads of roasted garlic and a little bite from raw garlic. You can eat this soup as is, or serve it with crispy garlic chips and a drizzle of garlic olive oil to really impress your friends and family!

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Cut the tops off the three heads of garlic so that the cloves are exposed. Sprinkle the cloves with the salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Place the heads of garlic together on a piece of aluminum foil and wrap them up so that they are sealed in a tight package. Bake in the oven for 40-50 minutes, or until the garlic has turned nutty brown in colour and is very soft. Once the garlic has cooked, remove from the oven and let cool while you prepare the soup.

In a large stock pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the chopped onion, carrot, salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to medium and saute until the onions have become translucent, but not browned, about 5 minutes.

Next, increase the heat to medium-high and add the cauliflower. Stir the vegetables to get the cauliflower down to the bottom of the pot so that it can begin to soften. Give the pot a stir every 2 minutes or so until the cauliflower has begun to soften, about 10 minutes.

Once the cauliflower has softened slightly, add the vegetable stock and thyme sprigs. Give it a stir to combine everything. Bring the soup to a boil then cover and let simmer for 45 minutes, or until the cauliflower has become completely soft and can be mashed with the back of a spoon. Right at the end, add in the 2 remaining cloves of garlic- this will give the soup some bite!

Next, it’s time to puree the soup. Use an immersion blender, or regular blender to blend the soup until smooth. If you are using a regular blender, make sure to only fill it halfway up with soup and to leave the lid slightly ajar so that the heat can escape. Place the soup back in the pot, taste and adjust the seasoning as necessary.

For the garlic chips, heat the 1/4 cup of oil in a small frying pan until hot and add the sliced garlic. Cook on high-heat for 1-2 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove the sliced garlic from the pan and drain on a paper towel. Make sure to keep the oil for garnishing the soup later!

Finally, scoop the warm soup into bowls, top with the garlic chips, extra thyme leaves and the garlic oil. Serve immediately and enjoy!